3-D Restoration and Consulting

Our new article is now on the website. We present our review of the new DIAL M FOR MURDER Blu-ray plus the background and history on this landmark 3-D production. We also clear up a few long-standing myths along the way!

http://www.3dfilmarchive.com/dial-m-blu-ray-review

Greg Kintz and I hope you will enjoy it.

Bob

 

Great webpage, Bob! One question though... From the webpage:

"While it is not disruptive to the flow of the feature, it is worth noting at 1:28:49 and ending at 1:30:20, there is a brief 2-D section. This also appeared in original dual strip prints as well, and likely has been that way from day one due to a camera malfunction."

Has WHV commented as to why they didn't convert this short segment to 3D in post production? I would think it would have been pretty easy to match to the shots on either side of the 2D segment depth-wise, correcting a decades old mistake.

Derek

 

No, they haven't. If I can get an answer if this was considered, I'll let you know.

Bob

 

I'm glad I got to go to the last 3-D Expo. I'm not sure if I'll ever get to see film again, much less two projector 3-D. A rare pleasure, indeed.

 

Sixty years ago today, Warner Bros. premiered one of the greatest 3-D movies of all time: HOUSE OF WAX, starring Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Carolyn Jones, Paul Picerni and Charles Buchinsky (a.k.a. Bronson.) Directed by Andre DeToth and produced by Bryan Foy, it told the story of a crazed sculptor seeking revenge for the fiery destruction of his wax museum.

Based on the 1933 horror classic MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM, this WarnerColor re-make was the first feature film from a major studio to be photographed in Natural Vision 3-Dimension. (Arch Oboler's BWANA DEVIL, distributed by United Artists, had been the first.) Natural Vision utilized two strips of film, representing left and right eye views, and was projected in perfect synchronization on two projectors. This superior 3-D process utilized Polaroid filters and glasses, and should not be confused with the red/blue anaglyph 3-D system, which appeared primarily in comic books and magazines during that time.

It was also the first feature to be heard in WarnerPhonic Stereo sound, a new 4-channel process that utilized a full-coat 35mm magnetic track for the left, center and right speakers behind the screen, and a mono optical track for the surround channel. The 35mm full-coat audio was on a separate roll that was interlocked with the two projectors that ran the left/right 3-D images, and the surround track was on the right print of the feature. (The left print contained a mono optical composite track of the entire four channels, and served as an emergency audio back-up in case the dubber went out of sync with the picture.)

Sadly, this pioneering WarnerPhonic audio is lost today. The only surviving element of the original stereo mix is the mono surround channel. (The stereo sound that you are hearing on the film today is newly created by Chace Audio from mono elements. It is NOT the original WarnerPhonic sound.) The tragedy of this stereo audio not surviving is the fact that it was an important element in the original presentation of the 3-D film. With fully directional sound, and sound effects that emanated from the sides and rear of the auditorium (during the fire in the wax museum, for instance) it helped to immerse the viewer in the action, adding an important element to the superb realism of the dimensional photography. As an example of the important role of sound in this presentation, the New York Paramount installed 25 surround speakers throughout the huge auditorium.

The gala world premiere took place on April 10, 1953 at the magnificent 3,600 seat Paramount Theatre on Times Square. All the stars from the film were there, and the film proved to be a tremendous moneymaker for the studio. Boosting ticket sales was the stage show headlined by RCA recording star Eddie Fisher, making his first appearance back from a tour of duty in Korea. He performed such hits as "Any Time," "I'm Walking Behind You," "Wish You Were Here" and "Tell Me Why." The bobbysoxers lined up for hours to see the popular crooner, and filled the massive theatre for six shows a day!

The phenomenal success of this film opened the floodgates for 3-D movies. Within the next 14 months, Hollywood produced 50 features, and nearly two dozen shorts and cartoons, all in the Polaroid 3-D process. Titles include KISS ME KATE, HONDO, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, MISS SADIE THOMPSON, DIAL M FOR MURDER, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, CEASE FIRE, I THE JURY, and many more.

www.3dfilmarchive.com

 

Thanks for the great post! It is hard to beleive that this film is 60 years old!!

 

Can hardly wait for Warner's already-announced 3D blu-ray for this movie, commemorating the 60th Anniversary, Bob...thanks for the sharing!!!

 

I'm not sure, they're still waiting to hear on it.

Thanks for the kind words!

 

Bosley Crowther never gave a good review to a 3-D movie, but his comments on Warnerphonic sound are quite interesting. It's a shame this pioneering stereo track is lost.

 

Don't forget, Bosley Crowther was the guy who thought Lawrence of Arabia was a crap "camel opera" film, and also disliked The Great Escape and Psycho.

 

No, I'm sorry to say the Lafayette no longer has dual-35mm 3-D capability.

I really liked the 3-D image there, the theatre architecture certainly added to the experience.

 

Won't be able to attend the 3D Fest in September, so I'll have to satisfy myself by getting the new "House Of Wax" blu-ray from Warner and playing it in stereoscope at home...

 

I'll be introducing MAN IN THE DARK in 3-D at the Museum of Modern Art in New York on Friday, August 1 at 4:30. If you're at the show, please introduce yourself and say hello. I'd like to meet you.

I'll be bringing a sample of an original 1953 sepia-toned print!

http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/film_screenings/21461

 

Here's your chance to win a free copy of THE BUBBLE on 3-D blu-ray:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/336231-the-bubble-contest-win-a-copy-on-blu-ray/

Please visit the home page of our website to read the articles and reviews: www.3dfilmarchive.com

 

I wish they would convert the original King Kong to 3D.
I love 3d movies and have a 3d TV and camera
I haven't ever heard of "The Man in the Dark "....

 

How did the showing at MOMA go? I haven't seen the film, but I'm interested in the roller coaster on the poster. Did the film have any POV shots from the coaster?

 

Thanks, it went very well. It's available on 3-D blu-ray.

Yes, there are a few POV shots from the coaster. They are shown via back-projection.

 

Thanks Bob! I will definately check out the Blu-ray.

 

"Man In The Dark" 3D-blu-ray is a 3,000-pressing limited edition available only through Twilight Time Entertainment/Screen Archives...don't wait too long to get your copy!!!

 

They could, but it's a dark, dark movie. People forget that about 75% of King Kong takes place at night.

Creating faux 3D from standard 2D images typically costs about $100,000 per minute, so a movie like Transformers or Avengers would easily cost $12,000,000 for two hours of material. I tend to doubt studios will spend this for a 1933 film. I don't think they'd do it for the 1976 version or the 2005 Peter Jackson version, either.

 

Most of the 3D tv's have the ability to convert 2D to 3D on the fly. Many 3D blu ray players also have this capability. For older titles without fast cutting, the 3D conversion is quite impressive. I've never tried it with "King Kong", but I've done it with several others, and been fairly impressed. So give that a try Uncle Meat and see if you like it...

Derek